Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

4 stars for We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

This is an unsettling novel about a peculiar girl named Merricat, her beloved older sister, Constance, and together, their family's dark, dark secret.

The story revolves around a mysterious past event. Through Merricat's first person narratives, the reader is prompted to figure out what exactly happens on that fatal night six years ago. Throughout the novel, there is a sense that the truth lies within reach, but in actuality, it is so near yet so far. For some of the characters such as the villagers or Uncle Julian who lives in the same house as the two sisters, truth is the same as conjecture. As for the two characters that do know the truth, even their individual truths never quite match up.

At the end of my reading, I gather that somehow, the truth does not really matter, at least that is how the author sees it. Just as often, it is not the destination but the journey that matters, and so, in this story, it matters not the truth, but family, female power and gender, guilt and punishment, and above all, isolation. To most if not all of us, living in isolation is equivalent to living in horror; but to Merricat, it is living in happy isolation.

That said, at the end of the day, the reader in me still yearns to find out the truth of that mysterious past. Well, it is certainly revealed in good time if you read right to the end of the book.

Review: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

4 stars for The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

The Lottery is a short but deeply memorable story. It may be categorised as horror, but it is not one involved with supernatural effects, instead, it has got more to do with the dark side of human nature.

The original purpose of the lottery is a mystery. None of the characters in the story remembers or knows the reason for the lottery; why there is the lottery, what is the purpose of the lottery and when the lottery is started.

Every year without fail, the village people attend and go through this annual ceremony dutifully without ever questioning it because it is what they have been taught since young.

Perhaps if the people realise what effect and result the lottery is supposed to produce, they may all agree to abandon this traditional ritual for it is nothing but an ancient superstition.

Through this short story, the author attempts to challenge readers to examine the role of tradition in our lives and how it can lead us to continue to engage in ways that are cruel and inhumane.

Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

4 stars for The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

This is one of the best old horror stories.

The Haunting of Hill House is more terror than horror, at least that is how I feel. The paranormal factor embedded in the root of the story is so skilfully presented that reading the uncanny episodes bring on a sudden awareness that sends chills up my spine, such that each and every trivial sound that permeates the air in my living room while I read the book late into the night makes me jump up in my couch with a thumping heart and surreptitiously turn my head around as if I am being watched by unseeing eyes. Yes, I am spooked.

A Doctor of Philosophy wants to investigate the causes and effects of psychic disturbances in a house commonly known as "haunted". He set his eyes on Hill House which is built some eighty-odd years ago and engages assistants to observe and explore this house of despair to find out why all the people who rent Hill House make an effort to provide a rational reason for leaving, never staying more than a few days and certainly never the full terms of their leases.

Are you keen to find out the real reason as well? Are you game enough to set foot in the Hill House? If it's a yes and yes, enter and be forewarned.

Review: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

2 stars for Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

I have heard and read so much good words about this classic novel. But somehow or other, I cannot for the life of me enjoy the story.

There is actually nothing wrong with this novel except... (1) the snail slow pace of the plot is not to my liking and (2) the story is neither suspenseful nor mysterious enough to keep me excited about picking up from where I leave off each time. Still, I am glad to say that I manage to get to the end of the book.

Review: Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Did Not Finish Moloka'i by Alan Brennert.

I want to like this story and I try to read it best as I can. Sad to say the least, I am not able to make myself finish it.

Moloka'i is one of those stories where the lines between fact and fiction are blurred; historical events, real-life patients and caregivers are interlaced with fictional cast of characters. In nutshell, it is a work of fiction which is set in a real place where real people live and die.

The story revolves mostly around a seven-year old girl, Rachel and a terrible, horrible disease called Hansen’s disease which is also known as leprosy.

It is important to note that leprosy is caused by a bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae) and is thus not hereditary, from a curse, or from a sin.

Review: After the Fall by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

3 stars for After the Fall by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

This short novel is a story worth reading. It encourages us to see beyond that which we fear, for in confronting and taking our fears to its outer edges, we can learn to think differently than the average human. Our lives could have been different. Very different. Totally different.